Environment Agency Warns of Growing Drought

11.22.32am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 27th Jun 2006

The Environment Agency has written to Vincent Cable MP to warn that, despite rain in May, there is a "serious drought" and, in August, a drought order is likely to be introduced banning non-essential uses (on top of the hosepipe ban).

Vincent Cable MP was filmed last week by a 'Tonight with Trevor MacDonald' team at a dried up river upstream in the Thames Valley, said that "the position is serious and potentially disastrous. Thames Water has been complacent about water conservation and fully deserves to be heavily fined for its failure to meet targets to cut leakage from pipes below the current rate of around a third. Its massive payouts to senior managers has added to public cynicism. But we shall all have to economise on water use, otherwise by next year - if there is another dry winter - we shall have standpipes and

The Environment Agency expresses particular concern that if households, factories and irrigated agriculture soak up dwindling supplies there will a serious impact on wildlife and, particularly, stocks of fish.